EPISTEMOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS IN CLASSICAL ARABIC TEXTS: REASSESSING CONTEMPORARY EPISTEMOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES

Abstract

This article examines the epistemological foundations embedded in classical Arabic texts and evaluates their relevance to contemporary epistemological debates. It argues that revisiting these intellectual traditions, through figures like al-Fārābī, Ibn Sīnā, Ibn al-Haytham, al-Jāḥiẓ, and Ibn Khaldūn, offers a necessary reconfiguration of knowledge frameworks that extend beyond the constraints of modern Western paradigms. The study highlights the key epistemological values such as justice, neutrality, ethical commitment, and methodological pluralism. By interpreting these classical insights within their historical and civilizational contexts, the paper aims to contribute to a broader, more inclusive epistemological discourse- one that bridges between civilizations and reorients the humanities and social sciences towards ethical and imaginative inquiry. In this context, we will attempt to interpret Arabic texts within their historical and intellectual frameworks, maintaining scientific neutrality in line with research ethics. Ultimately, the study aims to pose a series of thought-provoking questions, beginning with the inquiry: “Why not?”